-9As has been pointed out on many previous occasions, the entry into force of Protocol No. 2 would greatly facilitate the CPT's work. The Committee must therefore once again express its disappointment and incomprehension that almost five years after its opening for signature, the Protocol has still not been ratified by five Parties to the Convention. In the previously-mentioned Recommendation 1323, the Parliamentary Assembly recommended that the Committee of Ministers "urge the States Parties to the Convention which have not yet done so to ratify its Protocols and, in particular, Protocol No. 2 without delay, thus allowing its entry into force" and "invite the authorities of States considering ratification of the Convention to ratify its Protocol No. 2 at the same time". The CPT trusts that the Committee of Ministers will take the measures proposed by the Assembly. B. CPT membership 16. Important changes to the CPT's membership occurred in 1997. The terms of office of Mr Claude Nicolay, the President of the Committee (elected in respect of Luxembourg), Mrs Nadia Gevers LeuvenLachinsky (Netherlands), Mr Rudolf Machacek (Austria), Mr Bent Sørensen (Denmark) and Mr Stefan Terlezki (United Kingdom) expired on 19 September 1997. All of these members had been with the CPT since the outset of its activities in 1989, and the Committee wishes to place on record its gratitude for their significant contributions to its work. Seven new CPT members were elected by the Committee of Ministers in the course of 1997: Ms Silvia Casale (United Kingdom), Mrs Emilia Drumeva (Bulgaria), Mrs Renate Kicker (Austria), Mr Andres Lehtmets (Estonia), Mr Ole Vedel Rasmussen (Denmark), Mr Pierre Schmit (Luxembourg) and Mr Pieter Reinhard Stoffelen (Netherlands). During the same period, Mrs Ingrid Lycke Ellingsen (Norway), Mr Arnold Oehry (Liechtenstein), Mrs Gisela Perren-Klingler (Switzerland), Mr Safa Reisoğlu (Turkey), Mr Leopoldo Torres Boursault (Spain) and Mr Ivan Zakine (France) were re-elected. Further, two new CPT members have already been elected in the course of 1998: Mr Aurel Kistruga (Moldova) and Mr Davor Strinović (Croatia). As a result, the CPT presently has 30 members9. The seats in respect of Albania, Andorra, Germany, Latvia, Portugal, Slovenia, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and Ukraine are vacant, and a seat in respect of the Russian Federation shall have to be filled as from 1 September 1998. 17. The current membership is arguably the most balanced and specialised that the CPT has ever enjoyed. The number of members with a medical background is now on a par with that of lawyers in the Committee. Further, the CPT's wish to have more persons with specialist practical knowledge of penitentiary systems and more forensic doctors within the Committee is gradually being met. The proportion of women among the CPT's membership (nine out of 30) has also improved slightly. In Recommendation 1323 and Order No 530, the Parliamentary Assembly spelt out the criteria (professional background, gender, age, availability) to which attention should be paid when national parliamentary delegations nominate candidates for the CPT, when the Bureau of the Assembly draws up the lists of candidates and when the Committee of Ministers subsequently proceeds to elect members. The CPT fully agrees with those criteria and would add, as regards professional background, that it would be very helpful if the Committee's membership were also to include some persons with specialist practical knowledge of police work. 9 See Appendix 2 A for the full list of CPT members. Abridged curricula vitae of the members can be obtained from the CPT's Secretariat.